Snow fence

ABSTRACT

A snow fence made of a woven wire fabric in which the warp wires extend substantially parallel to the ground and the weft wires extend perpendicularly to the ground. The warp wires are arranged in groups which are spaced apart laterally so as to provide a series of vertically spaced horizontally extending slat structures providing a degree of resistance to the flow of wind without totally blocking the flow. The mesh of the slats is selected to permit limited wind flow therethrough and to permit coating of the woven fabric after weaving substantially without bridging of the coating material across the mesh openings.

United States Patent Krebs 1 June 27, 1972 SNOW FENCE 211 Appl. No.: 112,265

3/1959 Switzerland ..256/32 2/1913 France ..256/33 Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Attorney-Howson & Howson [57] ABSTRACT A snow fence made of a woven wire fabric in which the warp wires extend substantially parallel to the ground and the weft wires extend perpendicularly to the ground. The warp wires are arranged in groups which are spaced apart laterally so as to provide a series of vertically spaced horizontally extending slat structures providing a degree of resistance to the flow of wind without totally blocking the flow. The mesh of the slats is selected to permit limited wind flow therethrough and to permit coating of the woven fabric after weaving substantially without bridging of the coating material across the mesh openings.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEUJUHZ? m2 3, 672.638

WILLIAM! B. KREBS SNOW FENCE The present invention relates to fencing, and has perticular application to snow fencing used for the control of drifting of wind-blown snow and sand.

The standard snow fence consists of a plurality of upright wooden slats which are bound into spaced parallel relationship by wires extending horizontally. The fencing is supported by posts, normally of channel iron set in the ground at intervals of from 4 to 8 feet. The fences are normally erected before the first snowfall and are dismantled in the spring. Frequently the snow fencing is erected on private property adjoining the public roads, and the fencing is often stored in the open, exposed to the summer weather conditions, because of the bulk and weight of the snow fencing when it is dismantled.

Attempts have been made to substitute materials for fencing which are not as bulky or weighty as the standard fencing material, yet which perform the desired function of the fence material, i.e., to alter the wind flow so as to control the drifting or accumulation of snow or sand. Such prior attempts to improve upon fencing have not been commercially successful because the fencing material is overly expensive, because the fencing is not effective, or because the material does not have the durability to withstand the continued exposure to the elements.

With the foregoing in mind, the present invention provides a commercially practical snow fence material which is economic to manufacture and maintain, and is fully effective in operation when erected.

More specifically, the present invention provides a fencing material for use as snow fencing which is woven in continuous lengths from wire. within specified ranges of size and which is coated after weaving with a coating material 'which does not block or fill up the interstices in the woven wire fabric.

. All of the objects of the invention are more fully set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein: 7

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a snow fence embodying fencing material in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the fencing material, as indicated by the broken outline in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views taken respectively on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a substantial enlargement of the section shown in FIG. 4 illustrating the coating applied to the fencing material as shown therein. With reference to the drawing, the snow fencing comprises a length of woven wire 10, which in the present instance is supported in upright position by a series of posts ll.- The posts 11, in the illustration of FIG. 1, comprise channel members 12 having an anchor plate 13 adjacent the bottom thereof. The anchor plate 13 provides an impact surface for driving the post 11 into the ground and also serves as an anchor to prevent twisting of the post. The post may have struck-out prongs or lugs which mount the wire fabric 10, or other suitable fasteners may be employed. The fencing of the present invention does not require the use of such specially installed posts, but permits the fencing material to be nailed or stapled to existing wooden posts of livestock fencing or to the trunks of trees or the like. The material may also be wired to conventional metallic fencing which has already been erected or installed in place.

It has been found that the present fencing material may be.

used in conjunction with standard livestock fencing because the fencing material of the present invention is effective to cause the snow to drift and accumulate in an area adjacent the fencing material as opposed to the effect of the standard fence which causes an accumulation of the snow at a point or feet beyond the fencing material. Thus by use of the fencing material of the present invention, it has been found that the snow fence may be located near the roadway or other area sought to be protected from drifting, thereby permitting the use of existing fencing to support the snow fence material.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, the fencing material comprises a wire fabric which is woven on a substantially conventional wire-weaving loom. In the present instance, the length of woven fabric comprises a series of warpwise extending slat portions 14 which are spaced along the wefts 21, the wefts being spaced uniformly along the length of the material. The

slat portion 14 thus alternates with relatively open portions 15. It has been found that the slat portions should preferably range between 0.5 inches and 1.5 inches, and they are spaced apart by a distance which should lie within the range of 0.5 inches and 1.5 inches. Preferably the slat portions 14 of the weave comprise 50 per cent or more of the total width of the fabric. In FIG. 2, the width of each slat portion 14 is indicated by the dimension A and the spacing between the slat portions in the open portion 15 is indicated by the dimension B. In this instance, the slats are all of the dimension A, but it is within the scope of the invention to vary the dimension A across the width of the wire fabric.

It is noted that the woven fabric comprises weft wires 21 which extend across the full width of the fabric passing through all of the portions 14 and 15. Thus the weft density is the same in both the slat portions 14 and the open portions 15. It has been found that the weft density should fall within the range of four wires to eight wires per inch, and the diameter of the weft wires should fall within the range of 0.018 inches and 0.047 inches to provide sufficient rigidity to the material when erected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the open portions 15 of the fabric are devoid of warp wires, being comprised entirely of the weft wires 21.

In the slat portions, the weave construction is preferably a l X l plain weave as shown in FIGS. 2-5. The warp wires 22 are preferably of a finer diameter than the weft wires so as to afford a greater degree of flexibility to permit the fencing material to be rolled up about an axis parallel to the weft. It has been found that the diameter of the warp wires should fall within the range of 0.011 inches and 0.018 inches and the warp density in the body of the slat portion 14 should fall in a range between 15 and 40 wires per inch.

In order to provide the desired durability, it is preferred that the warp and weft wires be of metallic material, such as steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, bronze, or the like. However, certain plastic or synthetic materials may also be used if designed with sufficient strength to resist tearing from the stresses imparted to the fabric by the wind and the fasteners used to maintain the fabric in upright position. To impart greater dimensional stability to the' slat sections 14, a type of selvage is preferably provided along the marginal portions of each slat portion. In the present instance, the selvage effect is provided at 23 along each edge of the slat portion and includes an addi tional warp wire 24 interposed in the normal spacing between the two outermost warps in each slat section, this spacing between the warps corresponding to the spacing in the body portion of the slat portion 14.

As shown in FIG. 5, the wire fabric of FIG. 2 is provided with a coating indicated at 25. The coating of the fabric provides an integral coating on the weft wires 21 and the warp wires 22 and 24. As shown in the figure, the coating material encases the warp and weft wires, although it may not penetrate between the warp and weft wires at their junctions. The coating material not only serves the. purpose of protecting the wire material from corrosion, but also serves to cohesively bind the wires together at the intersections where the wires cross each other. This binding of the wires by the coating material imparts a stiffness and rigidity to the woven fabric and provides a dimensional stability which limits raveling of the wire cloth and distortions in the weave.

The coating is applied after the weaving operation, for example by conventional coating procedures and the coating may consist of paint, molten zinc, vinyl, varnish or similar material. Preferably, the material bonds to the wires so as to firmly anchor the same, but the integral nature of the coating does not require that such bonding be absolute. The coating material is normally applied by causing the fabric to travel through a bath of the liquid, but it may also be applied electrostatically or by other spray coating procedures, preferably selected according to the equipment available to the wire fabric producer. In any event, the surface tension and viscosity of the coating material should be such that it coats the individual warp and weft wires without closing the interstices between the wires in the slat section 14 and between the weft wires in the open section 15. In this way, the wire fabric provides a porous barrier which affects the flow of wind, causing the wind to deposit the snow or sand on the ground closely adjacent the wire fabric. The phenomenon which causes the snow or sand to be deposited by being separated from the wind is not fully understood, but use of the fencing material has shown that it is effective to control the drifting or accumulation of snow in a highly efficient and effective manner.

The construction of the fencing provides advantages over the standard wood-slat fence by providing material which is considerably lighter in weight and is capable of being rolled into a compact bundle which can be easily handled by a single man. Because of the substantial reduction in weight over the conventional wood-slat fencing, the fence of the present invention can be erected on uprights which are substantially less sturdy than are required for standard fencing. Furthermore, the foraminous nature of the fencing avoids a substantial degree of wind resistance which causes normal fencing to be blown over when subjected to high winds in the absence of snow or sand. Thus, the fencing remains erect so that it performs its function efficiently and effectively.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been herein illustrated and described, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosure but changes and modifications may be made therein and thereto within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A snow fence comprising a length of wire fabric having warp wires adapted to extend substantially parallel to the ground and weft wires extending substantially perpendicular to the warp wires, said fabric having a plurality of slat portions extending in the warp direction and alternating weftwise with open portions, said weft wires extending parallel to each other throughout the length of the fabric across the full width of the fabric through said slat portions and said open portions, the weft wires having a weft density in the range between 4 wires and 8 wires per inch, the diameter of the weft wires falling within the range of 0.018 and 0.047 inches, the warp wires being disposed parallel entirely within said slat portions and having a warp density therein in the range between 15 and 40 wires per inch, the warp density at the upper and lower edge of each slat portion being greater than in the middle part of each slat portion to provide selvage effects along the opposite marginal edges of each slat portion, the selvages of adjacent slat portions defining the open portions between them, the diameter of said warp wires falling within the range of 0.011 and 0.018 inches, the open portions extending between said slat portions being continuous throughout the length of the fabric, the slat portions comprising at least 50 per cent of the total width of the fabric, said fabric having an integral coating encasing said warp and weft wires without closing the interstices within said slat portions, said coating being effective to anchor said warp and weft wires together at their intersections.

2. A snow fence according to claim 1 wherein said open portions fall in widthwise dimension between 0.5 and 1.5 inches.

3. A snow fence according to claim 1 wherein said slat portions in width fall in the range between 0.5 and 1.5 inches.

4, A snow fence according to claim 1 wherein said warp and weft wires are metallic.

5. A snow fence according to claim 1 wherein said slat portions comprise a l X 1 plain weave. 

1. A snow fence comprising a length of wire fabric having warp wires adapted to extend substantially parallel to the ground and weft wires extending substantially perpendicular to the warp wires, said fabric having a plurality of slat portions extending in the warp direction and alternating weftwise with open portions, said weft wires extending parallel to each other throughout the length of the fabric across the full width of the fabric through said slat portions and said open portions, the weft wires having a weft density in the range between 4 wires and 8 wires per inch, the diameter of the weft wires falling within the range of 0.018 and 0.047 inches, the warp wires being disposed parallel entirely within said slat portions and having a warp density therein in the range between 15 and 40 wires per inch, the warp density at the upper and lower edge of each slat portion being greater than in the middle part of each slat portion to provide selvage effects along the opposite marginal edges of each slat portion, the selvages of adjacent slat portions defining the open portions between them, the diameter of said warp wires falling within the range of 0.011 and 0.018 inches, the open portions extending between said slat portions being continuous throughout the length of the fabric, the slat portions comprising at least 50 per cent of the total width of the fabric, said fabric having an integral coating encasing said warp and weft wires without closing the interstices within said slat portions, said coating being effective to anchor said warp and weft wires together at their intersections.
 2. A snow fence according to claim 1 wherein said open portions fall in widthwise dimension between 0.5 and 1.5 inches.
 3. A snow fence according to claim 1 wherein said slat portions in width fall in the range between 0.5 and 1.5 inches.
 4. A snow fence according to claim 1 wherein said warp and weft wires are metallic.
 5. A snow fence according to claim 1 wherein said slat portions comprise a 1 X 1 plain weave. 